Zheng Qingyuan's strange cry caught the attention of the two dishwashers in the kitchen.
Chu Xubai and Xie Linchuan rushed over in a flash.
Xie Linchuan glanced at the red mark on Zheng Qingyuan's fingertip, let out a snicker, and said, "If you don't bandage that wound, it'll be healed by tomorrow."
Zheng Qingyuan shot him a glare.
Chu Xubai lowered his eyes and said in a indifferent tone:
"We're all grown men. It should just be a misunderstanding. I don't think Zheng Qingyuan would be faking an injury just because he scalded his finger while cooking."
Zheng Qingyuan shifted his glare to him and shot him two more dirty looks.
Right on cue—Xie Linchuan was the type of reckless fool who barked and howled at everything.
Chu Xubai, on the other hand, was the type of dog that didn't bite, but had a belly full of mischief—quietly rotten to the core.
In the end, Qiao Liuyue still pulled out the burn ointment from the first-aid kit.
Before she could even apply it to Zheng Qingyuan, Xie Linchuan, quick as a nimble monkey, snatched the ointment from her hand and darted over to Zheng Qingyuan's side.
His lips curled upward into a mischievous grin.
"Zheng Qingyuan, how pitiful you are, burning yourself cooking for us. Come, let me give you a proper dose of this medicine."
He emphasized those last four words with extra weight.
Zheng Qingyuan certainly didn't believe that guy Xie Linchuan could ever have good intentions. He snatched the ointment back and said, "No thanks, I'll do it myself."
After a good bit of clamoring and bickering, Qiao Liuyue began to feel drowsy, so she shooed the three men out the door.
Just as the door was about to close, Zheng Qingyuan grabbed the doorframe with one hand and asked:
"Liuyue, for tomorrow's reunion, why don't you bring me along? I'll be your bodyguard."
Chu Xubai sneered faintly at this, a trace of mockery in his eyes.
In a breezy tone, he said, "At your age, you probably don't get many chances to attend reunions anymore, right?"
Zheng Qingyuan glared at him again in annoyance.
"I'm only two or three years older than you guys. It's not like I'm some doddering old man."
Xie Linchuan crossed his hands behind his head, looking all lazy and carefree, and said cheerfully: "Still older than us, though."
Zheng Qingyuan was about to shoot him a glare as well.
"Old maybe, but still smarter than you. Working as a game booster, saving up all that money to send a Valentine's gift, only to have it tossed aside—how pathetic."
"You—!" Xie Linchuan got stabbed right in the sore spot again, and was so furious he couldn't even get a word out.
While the two of them tore into each other, Chu Xubai spoke in a calm, quiet tone, adding a very considerate remark:
"Liuyue, if you ever need anything, just send me a message. I'll be there in no time."
Zheng Qingyuan and Xie Linchuan both snapped their heads toward Chu Xubai and cursed: "Are you seriously pulling the 'calm and aloof' act right now, you jerk?"
Of course, in the end, Qiao Liuyue still closed the door and said she was fine going to the reunion by herself tomorrow.
Only then did the three men leave, looking thoroughly unwilling.
But once outside the door, Zheng Qingyuan got a bit cocky again. Right in front of the other two men, he pulled out the keys to the apartment across the hall.
He showed it off: "Ah, time to go home and sleep. I'm so tired... too bad my place just happens to be right across from Liuyue's. So close, huh..."
As he turned the key and the door swung open,
Chu Xubai and Xie Linchuan exchanged a glance. Like brothers in arms, they worked in perfect sync to rush through the door and barge into his home.
Zheng Qingyuan's furious voice trailed behind them:
"Hey hey hey! What are you two, a bunch of hooligans? This is my house! Did I invite you in?"
Once he stepped inside,
he found Xie Linchuan already sprawled on the couch watching TV, and Chu Xubai standing by the kitchen island pouring himself a glass of water, looking like he owned the place.
"Are you two robbers or what?" Zheng Qingyuan roared.
Chu Xubai lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk, gestured at the three-bedroom layout, and pointed to the two extra empty rooms.
"Brother Zheng, you thinking of renting out those two spare bedrooms?"
"NO WAY!!!" Zheng Qingyuan growled through clenched teeth. "Do I look like I need the money?"
Xie Linchuan muttered, "But our boost studio needs an offline location, you know. I think this is perfect. And convenient, too."
Convenient, his foot.
Isn't it just because this apartment is right across from Liuyue's place?
Zheng Qingyuan could see through the schemes of these two little rascals.
He refused outright.
"Letting you live here? Not a chance!"
Chu Xubai's posture remained relaxed, and he said slowly:
"Is that so? Suifeng Ge, Ruoying Ge—don't forget we've known each other online for quite a while now."
"Your dark secrets don't seem to be any fewer than Linchuan's."
Xie Linchuan grumbled in dissatisfaction: "What dark secrets do I have? It's just the whole thing about being scammed by Dong Jiaoyan." Then he looked at Zheng Qingyuan curiously and asked, "Right, Xubai, what exactly are his dark secrets?"
Chu Xubai's lips parted slightly as if to speak.
Zheng Qingyuan immediately waved his hands, shouting, "Fine! I'll rent them! The two spare bedrooms—I'll rent them to you guys!"
Later on,
Xie Linchuan sneakily asked Chu Xubai: "So what's Zheng Qingyuan's dark secret, really?"
Chu Xubai curled his lips into a light smile and said:
"We actually first met in a different game—random matchmaking. When I first saw him picking up a gun, I remember thinking the guy looked pretty professional. I thought this round would be a win."
"Then, as the poison zone started shrinking, we needed to move fast. I trusted him way too much, so I told Suifeng Ge to take the wheel and drive the vehicle."
"Guess what? He crashed into a tree not long after we started driving."
"We didn't even die from the toxin—we died from flipping the car after hitting that tree."
Chu Xubai shrugged, a helpless expression on his face.
